Lotus 75th Anniversary
TransAlpine 2023 Marlborough |
27th Oct - 3rd Nov |
Top-of-the-South Tour |
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Top of the South Tour
Hanmer Springs to Motueka
31 Oct – 2 Nov 2023
by Amanda Williams
Fun, friendship and lessons learned. The Top of the South Tour was well organised and proceeded according to plan. A huge thanks to all those who gave their time organising it. Thanks also to everyone who attended, making it such an enjoyable trip. Car knowledge was shared and friendships were formed. We were united through the pleasure we all get driving a Lotus.
Tuesday 31 October.
Our journey from Hanmer Springs to Greymouth demonstrated the joy of driving on South Island roads through stunning scenery. We gathered in town for a morning briefing. The departure was energetic, with the keen drivers leaving first, followed by the contenders, then those who enjoy a more moderate pace. An Esprit from the North Island had had a large rock damage its wheel on the road from Kaikoura to Hanmer Springs. Luckily the Esprit has a space saver tyre. They sent their wheel to Christchurch for repair and continued on the tour as our Tail End Charlie. The Lewis Pass is a lovely scenic road with dappled shade through mature beech forest. We virtually had the road to ourselves, with the occasional glimpse of a Lotus in the distance.
The winding road was relaxing and a great pleasure to drive. We stopped for lunch in Reefton. Our twenty colourful cars parked along the length of Reefton’s main road, creating a festive atmosphere. Other travellers stopped or doubled back to take in our impromptu car display and of course to have a chat.
We had an impromptu team building activity when an Elise accidentally had its keys dropped down into the engine bay while getting something from the boot. This provided an interesting challenge. Lesson one is that if someone holds the boot lid open, you can remove the strut and use it to eventually push the keys towards the wheel, where they can be retrieved. Whew!
After lunch we drove on to Greymouth. Some of us continued south to Hokitika’s Westcoast Treetop Walk and Zipline. The treetop walkway offered close up views of the orchids, epiphytes and birds living in the rainforest canopy. We stayed at the Greymouth Top 10. The native bush behind our units was full of native birds, providing a tranquil night’s sleep, followed by a vibrant dawn chorus.
Wednesday 1 November.
Our route from Greymouth to Motueka followed the coast north, before turning inland through the Buller Gorge. The views along the coastal drive dramatically illustrated the harsh west coast climate, with mature trees growing at 45 degree angles, their branches only growing on the downwind side.
At Punakaiki we walked the circuit track through the pancake rocks. We saw the rugged beauty of the layered limestone rock formations that have been sculpted into blow holes by the Tasman Sea.
Back on the road again, the Buller Gorge was another great drive of winding roads through mature forest and along the picturesque Buller River valley. This stretch of road had a frustrating number of caravans! We lunched in Murchison before travelling on.
Lesson two is about the fickle nature of the Lotus when one decided to go into “limp mode”. The engine warning light came on. The car lost power and pulled over to the side of the road. Fortunately, the knowledge and experience of other Lotus owners, and the car fault code reader in the Tail End Charlie Esprit, soon had the car confidently back on the road again.
We arrived in Motueka. That afternoon we were shown through a privately held collection of Ford cars. There were many rare and unique examples of different models of Fords. They sparked our curiosity and broadened our understanding about the extent of the Ford range.
Lesson three appeared about this time. What to do when you discover your Lotus tool kit with your unique locking wheel nut key adaptor is not where it should be? The lesson here is to keep the key adapter number noted in a safe place, as the number is needed to order a replacement key adapter. Fortunately, in this case the tool kit turned up a couple of weeks later.
Tuesday 31 October.
Our journey from Hanmer Springs to Greymouth demonstrated the joy of driving on South Island roads through stunning scenery. We gathered in town for a morning briefing. The departure was energetic, with the keen drivers leaving first, followed by the contenders, then those who enjoy a more moderate pace. An Esprit from the North Island had had a large rock damage its wheel on the road from Kaikoura to Hanmer Springs. Luckily the Esprit has a space saver tyre. They sent their wheel to Christchurch for repair and continued on the tour as our Tail End Charlie. The Lewis Pass is a lovely scenic road with dappled shade through mature beech forest. We virtually had the road to ourselves, with the occasional glimpse of a Lotus in the distance.
The winding road was relaxing and a great pleasure to drive. We stopped for lunch in Reefton. Our twenty colourful cars parked along the length of Reefton’s main road, creating a festive atmosphere. Other travellers stopped or doubled back to take in our impromptu car display and of course to have a chat.
We had an impromptu team building activity when an Elise accidentally had its keys dropped down into the engine bay while getting something from the boot. This provided an interesting challenge. Lesson one is that if someone holds the boot lid open, you can remove the strut and use it to eventually push the keys towards the wheel, where they can be retrieved. Whew!
After lunch we drove on to Greymouth. Some of us continued south to Hokitika’s Westcoast Treetop Walk and Zipline. The treetop walkway offered close up views of the orchids, epiphytes and birds living in the rainforest canopy. We stayed at the Greymouth Top 10. The native bush behind our units was full of native birds, providing a tranquil night’s sleep, followed by a vibrant dawn chorus.
Wednesday 1 November.
Our route from Greymouth to Motueka followed the coast north, before turning inland through the Buller Gorge. The views along the coastal drive dramatically illustrated the harsh west coast climate, with mature trees growing at 45 degree angles, their branches only growing on the downwind side.
At Punakaiki we walked the circuit track through the pancake rocks. We saw the rugged beauty of the layered limestone rock formations that have been sculpted into blow holes by the Tasman Sea.
Back on the road again, the Buller Gorge was another great drive of winding roads through mature forest and along the picturesque Buller River valley. This stretch of road had a frustrating number of caravans! We lunched in Murchison before travelling on.
Lesson two is about the fickle nature of the Lotus when one decided to go into “limp mode”. The engine warning light came on. The car lost power and pulled over to the side of the road. Fortunately, the knowledge and experience of other Lotus owners, and the car fault code reader in the Tail End Charlie Esprit, soon had the car confidently back on the road again.
We arrived in Motueka. That afternoon we were shown through a privately held collection of Ford cars. There were many rare and unique examples of different models of Fords. They sparked our curiosity and broadened our understanding about the extent of the Ford range.
Lesson three appeared about this time. What to do when you discover your Lotus tool kit with your unique locking wheel nut key adaptor is not where it should be? The lesson here is to keep the key adapter number noted in a safe place, as the number is needed to order a replacement key adapter. Fortunately, in this case the tool kit turned up a couple of weeks later.
Thursday 2 November.
The day was overcast with a promise of rain as we left Motueka for Takaka and beyond. Our first challenge was the Takaka Hill - a steep 791m climb to the pass that isolates Golden Bay from the rest of the South Island. The highway is about 50km of winding road with more than 250 corners, including several 320 degree hairpin corners. The road started clear with minimal traffic and was great fun to drive. Unfortunately, torrential rain began about half way, with rain and cloud reducing visibility. Anyone who had optimistically started the day topless had a quick stop to put their roof on. Lesson four is to practice your “pit stop putting up the roof” for when you face the same challenge in the future.
It became fine as we drove through East Takaka to Pohara and on to Tata Beach. A few of us missed the turn at Tata Beach and discovered the delights of the windy road to Wainui Bay, before turning back. We all stopped at the Grove Scenic Reserve, walking the short track through sculpted limestone blocks draped with the long tentacle like roots of the northern rata, to the lookout over the surrounding area.
Next was Te Waikoropupu Springs where our cars generated a lot of interest with other visitors in the car park. Pupu Springs is the largest cold water springs in the Southern Hemisphere with some of the clearest water ever measured. We could see fish a long way down under the water, but the overcast day meant the reflections weren’t so good.
We arrived at our lunch destination to good news. Through the cooperation of club members and their connections, our Tail End Charlie Esprit’s wheel had been repaired promptly in Christchurch, then transported to Nelson for collection within three days. The Esprit was back to full strength and no longer relegated to being Tail End Charlie.
After a tasty lunch at the Mussel Inn, we visited Paul Sangster’s Museum. This is an extensive collection of anything and everything related to cars, motor bikes, military, farming or domestic life. He also has the original Taka Jail. Paul has plans to relocate the collection into the Takaka township to make the collection more accessible to the general public.
We farewelled our new friends that evening at dinner. The North Island cars were leaving early the next morning to catch the ferry in Picton, then travel back up the North Island. The South Island cars were meandering their way home over the next few days. We thoroughly enjoyed the banter with fellow Lotus owners and days spent driving the Lotus on interesting roads.
We look forward to the next Lotus trip. We hope to see you there.
The day was overcast with a promise of rain as we left Motueka for Takaka and beyond. Our first challenge was the Takaka Hill - a steep 791m climb to the pass that isolates Golden Bay from the rest of the South Island. The highway is about 50km of winding road with more than 250 corners, including several 320 degree hairpin corners. The road started clear with minimal traffic and was great fun to drive. Unfortunately, torrential rain began about half way, with rain and cloud reducing visibility. Anyone who had optimistically started the day topless had a quick stop to put their roof on. Lesson four is to practice your “pit stop putting up the roof” for when you face the same challenge in the future.
It became fine as we drove through East Takaka to Pohara and on to Tata Beach. A few of us missed the turn at Tata Beach and discovered the delights of the windy road to Wainui Bay, before turning back. We all stopped at the Grove Scenic Reserve, walking the short track through sculpted limestone blocks draped with the long tentacle like roots of the northern rata, to the lookout over the surrounding area.
Next was Te Waikoropupu Springs where our cars generated a lot of interest with other visitors in the car park. Pupu Springs is the largest cold water springs in the Southern Hemisphere with some of the clearest water ever measured. We could see fish a long way down under the water, but the overcast day meant the reflections weren’t so good.
We arrived at our lunch destination to good news. Through the cooperation of club members and their connections, our Tail End Charlie Esprit’s wheel had been repaired promptly in Christchurch, then transported to Nelson for collection within three days. The Esprit was back to full strength and no longer relegated to being Tail End Charlie.
After a tasty lunch at the Mussel Inn, we visited Paul Sangster’s Museum. This is an extensive collection of anything and everything related to cars, motor bikes, military, farming or domestic life. He also has the original Taka Jail. Paul has plans to relocate the collection into the Takaka township to make the collection more accessible to the general public.
We farewelled our new friends that evening at dinner. The North Island cars were leaving early the next morning to catch the ferry in Picton, then travel back up the North Island. The South Island cars were meandering their way home over the next few days. We thoroughly enjoyed the banter with fellow Lotus owners and days spent driving the Lotus on interesting roads.
We look forward to the next Lotus trip. We hope to see you there.
